Kosher Food and Drink

Recent years have seen an explosion in options for the Orthodox Jewish citizen or tourist of Lakewood, New Jersey. Lakewood is full of cafés, nice eateries, fancy steakhouses, and great shopping. This article will offer options on what to do in one day in Lakewood when visiting from out of town.

Begin your day with a morning snack at The Cookie Corner, (848) 245-0533, 101 Stonewall Court, Unit 1, Lakewood, NJ 08701, under supervision of KCL and CRC, all items yoshon. The choice of so many baked goods makes it extremely hard to choose! There are cookies, cheesecakes, cinnamon buns, cheese buns, brownies, cupcakes, and much more. The drink menu is extensive, offering hot and cold coffee drinks, fruit drinks, and the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. There are several flavor choices for hot chocolate. I chose lotus and while it did not have a strong lotus taste, it was delicious nonetheless. As of this writing, The Cookie Corner does not offer oat milk as an option, just cow milk and almond milk. I also ordered delicious sourdough toast with mushrooms, cheese, and eggs.  There is ample seating and the decor and layout are so open, cheery, and pleasant. There is plenty of parking and the store is located in a small shopping center with a few clothing stores.

Fifteen minutes away is The Goldmont Center, a shopping center with eateries and plenty of shopping. Our first stop there was Amazing Savings, (732) 364-9200, 6774 US Highway 9 Howell, NJ 07731. The store is large and full of everything you wanted but didn’t didn’t realize you needed. They have loads of disposable tableware, serving dishes, and décor.  As Purim is the upcoming big Jewish holiday, they were putting out all the supplies you could want for costumes, mishloach manot, and decorating your house. There are tons of games and art supplies for kids. There are kitchen gadgets and even a keilim mikvah in which to dunk them after you pay! Don’t forget to bring your own shopping bag or you can just buy one there.

Ottimo, (732) 367-0009, 6794 U.S. 9 S, Howell, NJ 07731, under supervision of the Vaad Kashrus Mehadrin (Rabbi Tzvi Altusky), in the same shopping center, is a dairy eatery open for lunch through dinner. They have the classic pasta and pizza choices and then some more unique options, such as the Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad. This salad had a delicious mix of flavors, and the use of Brussels sprouts is rare and really was a special addition to this dish. I rarely get to enjoy fresh squeezed lemonade, so that was a must for me. When we got to dessert, I knew I had to try the dairy crème brulee. There were several other good-looking options, but with dairy dessert, it’s hard to go wrong.

After lunch, it was back to shopping.  As a group of moms, we were looking for both kids’ and women’s clothing. Junee, (732) 534-6077, 6708 US Highway 9 Howell, NJ 07731, in the same shopping center as Amazing Savings and Ottimo, had all the latest styles, plus a large clearance section for 70% off. Many of us found good deals in clearance or even in the regular priced clothing.

Yes, we still had more shopping ahead! On to Serendipity (no website), (732) 813-3352, 485 Oberlin Ave South, Lakewood, NJ 08701, a consignment shop with new and used clothing for boys, girls, and women. You have to look through many racks of clothing, but there are many good deals to be found. Most of the new clothes and most of the used items are in good condition.

As we had to plan our time wisely for a one-day trip, we set our afternoon snack at Milk Crate, 732-654-6455, 1600 NJ-70, Lakewood, NJ 08701, under supervision of Tartikov Kosher, so we could be close to Bingo Wholesale, our next shopping spot. We arrived at Milk Crate about 40 minutes before closing time, which enabled us to take advantage of a buy one, get one free deal on baked goods. In addition to the delicious baked goods, we tried Lavender Lemonade and The Rabbi’s Potatoes. The cheese Danish was one of the best I’ve ever had. There was ample seating, including an area with a circular bench with wicker cushions to sit on. We loved the funky, uniquely decorated bathrooms and the hip wall art. Just looking around was an experience. 

We were all looking forward to our visit to Bingo, (718)475-1331, 1900 Shorrock Rd., Lakewood, NJ 08701 for their wide variety of kosher products and great prices. Many of the items were the same as what could be found in other kosher stores, but there were several products that stood out in quantity and price. The meat and chicken prices were excellent. Frozen fish, bulk candy, and the number of Jewish toys also impressed us. I bought an excellent cake from Elegant Desserts there.

When we were done at Bingo it was almost time for dinner, but we had time for one more stop at Keter Judaica,(732) 678-9250, 12 America Ave., Lakewood, NJ 08701. The store features an incredible array of books and the displays of Judaica were beautiful.

We went next door to dinner at Bordeaux Wine & Steak House, (732) 813-3336, 8 America Ave., Lakewood, NJ 08701, under supervision of Tartikov Kosher. Wow, what an experience. We all agreed that the service was impeccable, so much so that we called the manager over to tell him how pleased we were.  The food choices were different than other fancy meat places we had been to, and we enjoyed items such as Smoked Beef Tongue, Duck Confit Gnocchi, and Tuna Crispy Rice.  One of our favorite parts was watching a steak get rolled out on a cart and sliced tableside.  As we were near the kitchen, it happened often.

We made one last stop at Gourmet Glatt, which has three locations in Lakewood, to pick up some takeout for Shabbos dinner.  We did not get to explore the entire supermarket, but the amount of takeout options they had were incredible. They had many types of schnitzel, thick pieces of potato kugel, a completely pareve area with fish and salads, and an olive bar!

Lakewood has so many food options and so many shopping options.  A day trip is completely possible and while you won’t be able to hit every spot, you can start planning your next trip on the drive home!